Tracing the roots

Centenary Year of Gadar Party
Chaman Lal

Gadar party was laun ched by migrant Indians, mostly Punjabis, but was inclusive of Indians from all parts of India as Darisi Chenchiah and Champak Raman Pillai from South, Pandurang Khankhoje from West India, Jatinder Lahiri, Taraknath Das from East India, Maulvi Barkatullah and Pandit Permanand Jhansi from Central India, Lala Hardyal, Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna and many more from North India. It was formed in USA in early twentieth century and was announced in March 1913 meeting in St. Jones as 'Hindi Association of Pacific Coast' as described by its founder President Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna in his autobiography—'Jivan Sangram' (Struggles of Life), written in Punjabi. However the name of the party became more popular as 'Gadar Party' as from 1st November the party launched the journal called 'Gadar' in Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu and in many more Indian languages from 'Yugantar Ashram' at 5 Wood Street San Francisco, the very building, which is now named as 'Gadar Memorial'. The party took its name 'Gadar', consciously to identify it with 1857-first war of Independence, which Britishers used to call 'Gadar' and the party, wished to turn that contemptuous nomenclature to a respectable one by calling itself 'Gadar party'! It was the most advanced secular democratic movement of its time, whose tradition was upheld and appropriated by Bhagat Singh later with further addition of socialist ideology. After looking at all the places and meeting various people in relation to these, I have made some observations, which I want to share with you.

I visited Gadar memorial site in San Francisco in California State of United States of America (USA), where I was invited to deliver a lecture on Gadar party hero Kartar Singh Sarabha on 22nd May,2011, Sunday, to commemorate Sarabha birth anniversary due on 24th May. Apart from visiting this historic site, I got an opportunity to visit Sacramento Cemetery, where not only Gadar party senior activist Maulvi BarkatuUah was buried, many more freedom fighters from Punjab were also buried there.

I was also taken to historic Stockton Gurdwara, which was the meeting place for Gadarites in 1913-1947 and which is now under the control of Khalistani elements, who have dumped the Gadar party heroes photographs in one corner of the neglected room of the Gurdwara along with the photographs of Khalistani armed fundamentalists. Here Vijay-lakshmi Pandit and Sarojini Naidu paid visits during freedom struggle.

I could even visit Holt farm of Gadar party Vice President Jawala Singh, who used to offer scholarships to top Indian students. In University of California's Berkeley campus, I was able to look at Gadar archives documents in The Bancroft library and also contacted Centre for South Asian Studies, being looked after by Prof Raka Ray. Prior to reaching at San Francisco, I visited Vancouver in Canada to visit Kamagatamaru sites, which again was related to Gadar movement and has its tragic happenings in year 1914.

This whole journey was not only emotionally touching for this writer, being so deeply interested in the history of revolutionary aspects of India's freedom struggle, it was enriching in terms of collecting some documents and having first hand feel of the locations of that historic movement fought by patriots for the cause of freedom of India. These observations demand serious attention of the Government of India, as the centenary celebrations of the formation of Gadar party are beginning this year and Government is also receiving a lot of representations in this connection.

The condition of the building which is now called 'Gadar Memorial', located at 5, Wood Street, San Francisco, has lost its heritage character; even the original name of the building—'Yugantar Ashram' finds no reference anywhere. The name 'Yugantar Ashram' was again to identify the movement with early revolutionary movement in Bengal with the name 'Yugantar'. The original name of the building was written in Urdu, Punjabi and English, now only English and Hindi language changed name is painted on the front wall with no Punjabi or Urdu version. The building was handed over to Govt. of India after the independence of the country and when Gadar party was formally dissolved. Presently it is under the administrative control of the Counselor of India. A peon or driver of some Indian official has been put up there, which has no respect or awareness about the significance of this historic site. There is no proper caretaker of the building, very important documents and items of the Gadar movement, including the artificial arm of Gadarite Harnam Singh Tundilat, who, lost his arm during movement, and who became famous with his surname—'Tundilat' (Broken arm Lord) are under display in glass cases without any lock and key. I suspect that many of the documents could have disappeared under these circumstances. Most of the time building remains closed, even when someone wants to visit it for historic site seeing, he or she can't see it. It needs special permission from Consulate, which as usual Indian Bureaucratic style has no sensitivity for such things, except if some rare sensitive official is posted. Many writers have written about it and Government also must have received many complaints in this regard. The building has been converted into a single hall with some kitchen, toilets and a room, used by the peon/driver of consulate.

This building should be rebuilt as original heritage with same nomenclature—'Yugantar Ashram', as is very clear from the photograph of the building and converted into Library-cum-research centre on the model of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in New Delhi, though its scale will be much lower than that. Further Berkeley campus of the University of California should be involved in this project and Centre for South Asian Studies of the campus, which presently is headed by eminent scholar Prof Raka Ray, daughter of Indian academician and former Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University, Bharti Ray, with most of Indian researchers as part of it, can make detailed project about it. In fact University of California's Berkeley campus should be offered this building on lease for establishing Gadar archives and research centre. Bancroft library of the University of California is already having Gadar Archives in its possession with twenty boxes of documents and some digitalized records are also there. Govt. of India should establish Kartar Singh Sarabha Chair in the Berkeley campus of University of California, where Sarabha was a student of science in 1912-13. This Chair should be located in Gadar memorial site turned into Gadar research centre. Copies of all the documents relating to Gadar movement, spread in various places of US, Canada, India, many other countries, where Gadar party had influence like Singapore, Philippines, China, Argentina, Brazil, Germany etc. should be brought to this research centre. This should be the best tribute to Sarabha and Gadar party movement during Gadar party centenary celebrations. In this research centre some items of Kamagatamaru site should also be put on display, such as a brick thrown by Kamagatamaru passengers on Canadian police during two months struggle at Vancouver sea side, where ship remained detained. This brick is on display in Museum of Vancouver city quite prominently. The model of Kamaga-tamaru ship should also be displayed. A film 'Continuous Journey' made by Ali Kazmi on Kamagatamaru incident beautifully captures the moments of that period. This documentary should be shown and distributed throughout India in schools and colleges during centenary year.

Nehru Memorial Museum and Library should acquire the photo copy or digitalized version of Gadar Archives in Berkeley campus Bancroft library of University of California, which in original should stay there, the University may never part with this historic record. Copies of documents in New York Public Library and other places in USA, Canada and other countries should also be acquired for this library, where a special section for the study of Gadar movement and movement led by Bhagat Singh should be created as the two are inseparable from each other.

Sacramento Cemetery, where Maulvi Barkatullah's and other Punjabi Muslim freedom fighters'graves exist, a plaque should be put up by Govt. of India, giving the details of the role of these personalities, particularly detailed role of Maulvi Barkatullah, should be highlighted. Irony is that caretaker Patricia Hutchings of this cemetery is too keen to know these details and offer all help to put the details. Now there is a University in Bhopal in the name of Barkatullah, but have no sign of at his grave in Sacramento!

The situation in Stockton Gurdwara is too serious. A place known as heritage site of Indian freedom struggle, as many meetings of Gadar party activists used to take place here and a hall still stands in the name of Gadari Babas. This hall displayed the photographs of Gadar party activists and martyrs, some of these photos are under display in Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall, (Gadar memorial Hall) in Jalandhar in Punjab. But the heritage nationalist Gurdwara was captured by Khalistani supporters in Stockton and now first sight of Gurdwara comes by the big banner flowing high at Gurdwara entrance-'Khalistan Zindabad' with photograph of Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale. Inside common eating hall (Langar), many photographs of gun totting Khalistani fundamentalists are under display as 'martyrs', which include killers of Smt Indira Gandhi and General Vaidya. Gadar party heroes’ photographs were taken out and put in bundles of some neglected corner room, along with photographs of Khalsitani armed fundamentalists, while the Gadar hall has been converted into prayer room with copy of Guru Granth Sahib installed there, though already a prayer room existed there. The excuse was made for the need of another prayer hall, which could have been built in enough space and resources available in the Gurdwara. It was done to insult the memory of Gadar party heroes and downgrade Gadar movement as compared to Khalistani movement by these mischievous elements. It is pity that Govt. of India cannot do anything in this regard, as the Gurdwara has been taken over by local Sikhs here, who are ignorant of glorious past of Gadar movement and have been taken away by the loud mouthed irrational speeches of Khalistani orators. But an awareness campaign about the significance of Gadar movement among local Sikhs/Punjabis should be launched here, so that in few years time, local Sikhs themselves are able to free the Gurdwara from Khalistani elements and restore its pristine glory with Gadar party heroes’ memoirs.

An identifying plaque with details at the Holt farm location of Gadarite Jawala Singh, near Stockton, not much known now to even researchers, should be put up by Govt. of India during centenary year of Gadar party formation.

Frontier
Vol. 45, No. 6, Aug 19-25, 2012